Safe construction



June 27, 1950 F. J. BREMER SAFE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 26, 1946 :E i BY IN V EN TOR.

Patented June 27, 1950 2,512.11; SAFE CONSTRUCTION a corporation of New York Application March 26, 1946, Serial No. 657,229

provide a simple and effective fire resistive covering means for steel safes of the burglar resistive type. r

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved fire resistive covering means for steel safes without impairing the burglary-resistive qualities thereof.

I Another object is to combine effective fire resistive qualities with burglary-resistive qualities in a safe, with a consequent reduction of hazard affecting the contents of the' safe.

' Another object of this invention is the attainment of the foregoing advantages at a low cost of manufacture, and with a considerable saving of time and labor in fabrication.

These and other objects and advantages are attained by the means described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. I is a perspective view of a fire-resistive safe or chest embodying the invention.

' Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

including stools by which the exterior cladding material is spaced from the chest or safe body. The average burglary resistive steel safe, while comparatively fire-resistant, does not afford ade-v quate protection to its contents if subjected to heat of substantial intensity. It is with the purpose of giving added protection to a steel safe that i a fire-resistive covering has been added without affecting the beauty or utility of the safe. It

should be noted that in the present invention, the insulation against heat has been applied'to the outside of the safe, whereas in the past it has been the custom to apply insulation to the rotating the disc 6 and door 2| is indicated by l I.

Meansfor retaining insulating material surrounding the main body of the safe is provided by a covering of suitable fire-resistant panels, preferably of metal and hereinafter referred to as cladding, the elements l2, l3, and I4 being the top, front, and side cladding sheets, respectively. Thettop I2 and the side cladding panels maybe in one-piece, with bends formed atthe upper corners H. and at the lower corners 12. The

' 2 Claims. (011109-84) @1 Fig. 3 is a plan view of a front wall member 2 r door cladding is indicated by the character I5.

As hereinbefore explained, the outer disc member 6 is rotativelysu'pported in theframe' l, as disclosed by Fig. 2. 'Attached to the outer'disc member 6, by means of a number of screws 20, or by other suitable means, is' the main door 2|, which has on its periphery a plurality of lugs 22 adapted to interlock behind corresponding lugs 23 in the stationary notched frame 24 when the door is rotated within the frame '1. Locking of the safe is attained by means of .a locking bolt 25 which engages a notch 25 in one of the lugs 23.' The locking bolt 25 may be ac- .,tuated by the tumbler mechanism 21 through the spindle 28 and the combination dial H1, or with, the use of other means common in the art.

. Between the'o'uterjdisc B and the main door 21, which maybe of drill-resistant. metal, provided a chamber 29 for the envelopment of a suitable non-combustible insulating material 39. The chamber 29 is formed by the door cladding l5 and a pan-like plate 3| suitably joined at points 32 on the periphery of the plate, as by welding or other means. Appropriate spacing between door cladding l5 and plate 3 2 is obtained by, means of tubular spacers 33, through which the screws 29 may be passed for anchorage in the material of door 2 I. A safe door thus constructed is both fire-resistant and burglary-resistant, as well as sturdy and attractive. The main body of the safe, as illustrated by Fig. 2, may be constructed of metal either in one piece, as a casting, or it may comprise a plurality of metal plates, the front plate being indicated by 34, the side plates by 35, and the rear plate by, 36, all welded or otherwise joined to; gether. The main body may be of drill resistive metal, although not necessarily so. Similar top and bottom plates, which are not shown on the drawings, completethe inner structure of the safe. Welded or otherwise fixedly attached to front plate 34 and rear plate 36 are a n-umberof stools 31, of suitable thickness and length, which serve as. spacers for the cladding sides [4, front I3, top [2, and rear 38. These stools 31 are clearly depicted in Fig. 3, which is a plan view of front plate 34. 'In addition to the stools 31, the front plate 34 has welded or otherwise attached to it the spacers 39, which serve as rigid supports for the door hinges. These spacers 39, being of the same length as stools 31, are bored and threaded to receive screws 40 which secure the hinge members 9 to the main body of the safe. The number of stools 31 employed may ;be varied, depending upon the, rigidity of the cladding, the size of the safe or chest, and other factors involved. :xThe-front plate has a.largexaperture,,4l',:ta-

pered in conformity with the taper 42 of the main between the door and the front walldftlieseifa f Surrounding the large aperture 60 in the front cladding I3 is a ring 44, substa i'i-tijlly z-shl'aipd ln cross section, which acts as a wall for retaining the insulation 45 between front cladding l3 and .front plate 34. The larger flange 46 of ring may b'e welded "or-"otherwise,fixedlyiattachedto "the "front .ci'aiiding as fat 41, while the smaller or "innerii'angeflfl' may'be'weltied upon or'idetachably 'isecu'redto "the"front 'p'late 34, as by means of "scfewsill. Whenthusass'embleid, the walldfi'ing i 'likeplate3'l o'f the'door. I

The top cladding 1'2, 'r'rron't cladding 1'3, side cladding f4 and "the rear "cladding 38 are spaced from the several'walls "of the mainb'oiiy bythe" "outeren ds (if thes'e'veral stools "3'1 locatednear the corners of the main bodyof thesalfefsaid stools beingofuniform length. The'chaniberifl thus-"created *betweemthe main body of the safe ahdtlie 'cladding "is filled, "preferably froirnf the *bottom-befo're closing, with a suitable insulating material 45 capable of rendering the contentsoi the finished "safe immune "to 'high ftempe'rat'ure. 'Asajne'ans o'fffin'ishirig an'd reinforcingthe cladding, thecladd'ing 'cor'n'ef'flan'gs fl and 52 maybe overlapped upon and weld-ed or-otherwisesecured *tothe cladding-sides and"'top,-'as"shown. "A hot. zto'm cladding panelmawbe welded to the flanges 4"3'-and 5'2 and tdthd-urfdertiirriedends of thesiile panels F4 after the insi'ila-ting* materialhas been 'i'ns'erted, -thus adding *a substantial amount or reinforcing to the cladding. 'Allof 'the *a'ngular ilan g'esmentioned may be welded to produce 1 an integral structure.

The safe described herin is sturdy, attractive,

and rooiriy ,j-in addition -to b'eing burglaryand fireres'i's'ti've. "The '-'construction features are condu- -"'cive tcrsimpleand expeditioiis iriahufajturing-pro- 'cedure,-' with a substantial saving of time and labor. i 1

- Vaiiou's-details in the sti'uctural elements of the assembly are subject '-"-to*modification within' the scope-of the claims herto appended without departing irom thespirit of the-invention. For in- "s't arica' the-door may be of-some form other than c'ircular, with a corresponhing alteration of the H00rjainb -0ropening-at thesaife from. *Ihe' na- 'ture of -the H601 "bolting *and locking 3 means -is-a, "matter *cf -im'materiality to the invention, es =is also the nia'nn'er in 'which the do'dr ijsfsupported sembly The variousspacrs win the msidefreq 4 ceptacle will uniformly space it from the cladding, and then the insulating material preferably in -wet tformlmaiy be poured through the open bottom until the -entire inner "receptacle is sure5, rounded thereby. As the final step in assembling *the structure, a bottom plate may be welded 0r .iothe'rwise fixed over the opening, to securely close the open bottom of the cladding; Upon drying "or settihg,'the'insiilating material becomes a ho- 10 f mogneousji mass which is highly effective for rendering allparts of the safe or chest resistive I- claim:

' "1. A fire and burglary resistant chest which comprises a hollow body of hard, drill-resistant 'metaL saidbody haying"a cireiilar-"dmn opening in a wall thereof, a hollow slrllsurroun ding the "sides 'aridtopofthe bodyfafid spaced therefrom, said "shell 'ha inga' circulardo'orppening reg- 'istl'y with" th'e"door opening of the "b day, Spacrs holding the shell and the body in spaced relations'hi'p, -fi1"e-=I"esistant -insuiatin material "in the "spaceb etween'the "body and the shell; ac'ircular door, "said'doo'r comprising "an inner portion of hard drill-resistant metal "'ad'apted toiclose the door opening of the body,'ian"outer"insulation retaiiiing sheetportibn adapted tocclosethe opening' in thes'liell'fmeans' for holding-said inner'and outer portions in -spaced'relationship,and fire resistant insulating material-inthespace*between 'saidip'ortions of thedoor, adoor supportingframe having a bearingopeningadaptedto registerwith the openings inthe bodfa'ndslill dfthe 'chestfa journalm'ember attache'd to said "do'oran'd' rotat- 'ablymounted in'said bearing o emn fhinges 'connected to 'sai'd door "supporting frame and t'o' the body, said hinges "supporting "the frame antlthe door 1 forswinging betweena closed positicm'and "-40 on the door and onthe'body of thechest forlocking "and 'unlo'ckingth'e door in *closdposition when "thetloor is turned, the insulation in "the space between the portions" of "the door being-of A substantially the same "thickness as and forming tween the Fbody "the shell when the 6001 1S 2. .A fifefahd' burglary-resistant chest in *ac- 'cord'ajnce'w'ith claim 1 charact'erize' d 'by the fact 'tha'tthe means for-s acin the-sheiiamruie may *of -the "chest "comprises aplurality of stools "at- "tached "to the bo dy "and that the hinges "are 'mounte'd "on hinge supporting stools "attached f the bddy'of "the chest and ext-en ing 'lolitwarlily therefrom; whereby the"wi'eight'of the dooris'supported" by thebo'dyoftheboxl F-R'EDRICK -J. BREMER.

REFERENCES {GIEED substantiallyacontinuation of'theinsulationbe- 

